Dec
06
2011
Brief Definitions of Common "Foreign Language Expressions"
Next week, I’m taking the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), a test that many universities, colleges, and seminaries require for students seeking to do a doctorate. Studying for the MAT has been interesting, to say the least. The key to doing well seems to be a broad but superficial knowledge of a great number of subjects and the ability to easily spot associations between those subjects.
Part of my study has focused on the meaning of foreign language expressions common in English academic writing. In my own writing, I try to keep from using these, since many people don’t know exactly what they mean. But since they do show up in plenty of books and articles, I thought it might be helpful to provide some common “foreign language expressions” and their definitions. In case you’ve scratched your head before, wondering what a phrase means, well… next time you’ll know!
- a posteriori - based on inductive reasoning
- a priori - based on deductive reasoning
- ad hoc - for a specific purpose
- bona fide - in good faith; genuine
- carpe diem - seize the day
- carte blanche - unrestricted power; literally, “blank document”
- caveat emptor – let the buyer beware
- de facto - actual
- de jure - by right; technically true
- deus ex machina - contrived device to resolve a situation; literally, “god from a machine”
- ex post facto - after the fact; retroactively
- fait accompli - an accomplished fact; a done deed
- faux pas - social blunder; literally, a “false step”
- ipso facto - by the fact itself; as an inevitable result
- mea culpa - I am to blame
- modus operandi - method of operating
- mot juste - the appropriate word
- non sequitur - something that does not logically follow
- nota bene - note well
- persona non grata - unwelcome person
- prima facie - on the face of it
- quid pro quo - an equal exchange; literally, “this for that”
- schadenfreude - enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others; literally, “harm joy”
- sine qua non - something indispensible; literally, “without which not”
- sui generis - one of a kind
- tabula rasa - a blank slate
- weltanschauung - a comprehensive apprehension of the world; literally, “world view”
- taken from the Kaplan MAT Study Guide